Both military and civilian shooters use and rely on self-loading firearms in virtually every known shooting discipline, including tactical operations, sniping, all types of competitions, plinking and hunting. The actions and other components have evolved and improved in many ways through the years, with numerous refinements in barrels, bullet design, propellants and other features. The result is that self-loading firearms are more accurate and more reliable than ever before. However, there is still plenty of room for improvement.